Two-piece skiff



Sept. 12, 1967 B M 3,340,552

TWO-PIECE SKIFF Filed 001:. 21, 1965 INVENTOR. F| BENJAMIN H. MOYE ATTORNEY United States Patent ()filice 3340 552 Patented Sept. 12, 1967 3,340,552 TWO-PIECE SKIFF Benjamin H. Moye, 66 Beach St., Warren, RI. 02885 Filed Oct. 21, 1965, Ser. No. 500,016 4 Claims. (Cl. 9-2) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A two-piece skiff having a watertight bulkhead in each piece. The pieces float and are provided with complementary hooks and slots which serve to hold them together in the water in aligned position. This permits the locking members to be used. These comprise spaced angle irons and vertical rods to lock the sections to each other. Additional locking means in the form of hooks and loops are provided at the top edges.

My present invention relates to boats, and more particularly to a novel construction of a two-piece skiff.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a skiff which can be disassembled into two separate pieces for easy storage or transportation.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a two-piece skiff which can be easily stored on board a larger boat thus eliminating towing or dragging behind the boat.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a two-piece skiff which can be quickly and easily joined to make the completed skiff.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a two-piece skifl in which each section is a fully integrated boat section capable of floating and supporting one or two persons and in which the sections are joined while the pieces are floating in the water.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a two-piece skiff having simple and quickly operable means for joining the parts.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a two-piece skiff which can be easily and quickly manufactured and assembled.

With the above and other objects and advantageous features in view, my invention consists of a novel arrangement of parts more fully disclosed in the detailed description following in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and more particularly defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a skiff embodying my present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the front section.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the rear section.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the skitf diassembled with the parts nested one within the other.

h FIIG. 5 is an enlarged detailed view of the positioning FIG. 6 is an enlarged detailed view of the top strap members.

b FIG. 7 is an enlarged detailed view of the assembly It has been found necessary in larger boats, both power driven and sail propelled, to provide a small skiff which can act as a life boat in an emergency and which provides access between the shore and the boat at the usual 0&- shore anchorage. These skiffs are usually approximately eight feet in length and are towed behind the boat. Only on very large boats are they carried inboard. It has been found that a trailing skiff cuts down the speed of the boat considerably, and in the case of power boats adds to the fuel consumption.

The present invention is designed to provide a small skiff made in two pieces nesting one within the other which can readily be carried on board a small boat taking up a minimum of space. The two-piece skiff of the present invention has certain novel features including a rapid means of assembly in the water and the complete integration of each unit. This means that if the two separate pieces of the skiff are thrown overboard each will float and readily support one or two persons while a quick assembly is 'being made in the water. With the two-piece skiff of the present invention, one person may conceivably use only one section of the skiff for a short trip to shore and back. By the use of self-integrated units no calking is necessary and the assembly or disassembly is completely watertight.

Referring more in detail to the drawings illustrating my invention, the skiff 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 comprises a front section '11 and the rear section 12. While the skifi 10 can be made of any suitable material, applicant has found that a molded material such as fiberglass forms an ideal watertight construction. The sections 11 and 12, separately illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 and shown in nested position in FIG. 4, are shaped to form the completed boat as shown in FIG. 1 and are joined together at a point to the right of center viewing FIG. 1 so that the forward section 11 can nest inside of the rear section 12. The section 11 comprises the usual boat bottom 13 generally longer prow 14 sides 15 and preferably removable seats 16. Towards the rear the section 11 is provided with 'an integral bulkhead 17 which is recessed so that the edges of the sides and bottom at 18 extend rearwardly from the bulkhead a short distance. The section 11 is provided adjacent each side wall 15 in the bulkhead, viewing FIG. 2 with a vertical slot 19 reinforced with a plate 20.

On each side of the center from the top edge of the bulkhead portion 17, still viewing FIG. 2, are a pair of cutout portions 21 for a purpose hereinafter to be described. Adjacent the bottom, and beneath each cutout portion 21 is an-angle iron 22 having its vertical section bolted to the bulkhead 17 and the horizontal portion being provided with a central opening having a depending cutout 23. The cutouts 23 are internally threaded for a purpose hereinafter to be described. The rear section 12 is also provided with sides 24 bottom 25 a backboard 26 and removable seats 27. The rear section 12 is provided with an integral bulkhead, see FIG. 3, complementary to the bulkhead 17 on the front section and comprising an almost identical bulkhead 28 also recessed at 29. The bulkhead 28 is provided adjacent each side wall with a hook member 30 which comprisesa flat strap portion bolted to the bulkhead 28 as shown in FIG. 5 and a forwardly extending hook member having a vertical slot 31. The bulkhead 28 is also cut away from the top edge at 32 similar to the cutout portions 21 in the bulkhead 17. Mounted just beneath each cutout portion is a supporting lug 33 through which a vertical rod 34 extends. The upper end of the rod 34 is surrounded by a coil spring 35 having the bottom end resting on the lug 33 and the upper end bearing against a handle portion 36 surmounting the top of the rod 34. This construction keeps the rod 34 in raised position resiliently on the springs 35. The bottom end of the rod 34 is threaded at 37 and the threaded end 37 extends into a cylindrical portion 38 of a supporting lug 39 mounted on the bottom portion of the bulkhead 28.

Now with the front and rear sections 11 and 12, as described and illustrated in FIG. 2 and 3 floating separately in the water, they are brought together until the hooked portions 30 slide into the vertical slots 19 into the position shown in FIG. 5. As the hooked portions 30 slide into the slot 19 it raises the bulkhead 28 and moves the bulkhead 17 downwardly relative to each other. This allows the supporting lug 39 to slide upwardly over the lug 22. After the hook 30 has entered the slot 39 until it slips into the vertical cutout portion 31 as shown in FIG. 5, the lugs 39 and 22 are in contact with the lug 39 over the lug 22 and the tubular portion 38 over the cylindrical portion 23. It is now only necessary to depress the handles 36 against the action of the springs 35 so that the rod 34 moves downwardly until the threads 37 engage the internal threads in the collars 23. Turning movement of the handles 36 causes interlocking of the parts and locking of the bulkheads to each other at this point. This action also pulls the handles 36 into the recess portions 21 and 32 and the lower lever of the upper edge of the bulkheads 17 and 28. With the front and rear side walls 15 and 24 abutting each other at the center, see FIG. 6, the recesses provided at 18 and 29 allow a space to be formed between the bulkheads 17 and 28 to accommodate the hooks and rods hereinabove described. An inverted U-shaped center board 40, see FIG. 1, is now positioned over the top edges of the bulkheads 17 and 28 to finish off the appearance of the skiff and to cover the top of the bulkhead and the handles 36.

In addition to the hook connections at each side edge and the threaded engagement of the rod 34 and the collars 23, a releasable strap is provided on the upper edge of the sides 15 and 24 as more fully illustrated in FIG. 6. One of the sections, in the illustrated form, the rear section 12 is proivded at its upper forward edge with a member 41 having a vertical post portion 42 with a rear undercut portion. The rear of the front walls 15 in section 11 is provided with a cam operated strap 43 pivotally mounted in the member 44 so as the member 44 is swung upwardly the strap 43 can be hooked under or released from the post 42. This is a standard strap closure construction. By putting such a strap at each side point, see FIG. 1, a lock is provided at the upper edge of the side walls. Applicant has found that the locking action at the three points center, sides and top provide a rigid connection without flexing so that in actual use the skiff operates as a unit.

Note that the various connections for joining the skiff are made while the parts are in the water. The bulkheads 17 and 28 are watertight and each section large enough to support one or two individuals so that in effect when the skiff is taken apart it forms two separate life boats. They can be tossed into the water the individuals can seat themselves in the sections and then the sections are pulled towards each other and quickly connected in the water. It should be noted that the hooked portions on each side 30 and the strap portions 43 can be quickly connected and the rods 34 canbe manipulated to lock the parts together. The seats 16 and 27 are preferably removable to allow one part to nest within the other as illustrated in FIG. 4. This allows the skiff to be stored in a much smaller space. The sections are fairly light and can easily be handled by one person. The skiff can be outfitted with the usual oarlocks with provision made for handling and lifting. It is contemplated that the cost of construction be not much greater than that of a completed one-piece skiff. Other advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to a person skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. A two-piece skiff comprising a front boat section having a watertight bulkhead at the rear thereof, a rear boat section having a watertight bulkhead at the front thereof, complementary means on the outer sides of said ybulkheads for locking said boat sections to each other when said sections are floating in the water, said complementary locking means comprising a pair of spaced angle irons mounted adjacent the bottom edge of the rear section bulkhead, said angle irons having vertical central openings, a vertical rod slidably mounted over each opening, each rod having a threaded lower end and a manually engageable top, a spring surrounding each rod at the upper end to resiliently retain each rod in withdrawn position, spaced angle irons adjacent the bottom edge of the front section bulkhead, said angle irons on said front section having threaded openings for receiving the threaded ends of said rods when said angle irons are in aligned position, and means on said bulkheads for guiding said sections toward each other to align said complementary locking means.

2. A two-piece skiff as in claim 1, wherein said boat sections are provided with additional complementary locking means at the adjacent top edges of said sections, said additional locking means comprising a hook member mounted at each top side edge adjacent the bulkhead on one section, and a complementary cam operated loop mounted on each top side edge of the other section, said loops engaging said hook members when said sections are in abutting relation.

3. A two-piece skiff as in claim 1, wherein said guide means comprises a slot in said front section bulkhead adjacent each side edge, and a fiat blade mounted adjacent each side edge of said rear section bulkhead, said blades entering said slots to align said sections, said blades having vertical slots engaging the bottom edges of said front bulkhead slots in aligned position.

4. A two-piece skifi' as in claim 3, wherein said boat sections are provided with additional complementary locking means at the adjacent top edges of said sections,

said additional locking'means comprising a hook member mounted at each top side edge adjacent the bulkhead on one section, and a complementary cam operated loop mounted on each top side edge of the other section, said loops engaging said hook members when said sections are in abutting relation.

References Cited MILTON BUCHLER, Primary Examiner.

BERNARD BELKIN, Aslsistanl Examiner. 

1. A TWO-PIECE SKIFF COMPRISING A FRONT BOAT SECTION HAVING A WATERTIGHT BULKHEAD AT THE REAR THEREOF, A REAR BOAT SECTION HAVING A WATERTIGHT BULKHEAD AT THE FRONT THEREOF, COMPLEMENTARY MEANS ON THE OUTER SIDES OF SAID BULKHEADS FOR LOCKING SAID BOAT SECTIONS TO EACH OTHER WHEN SAID SECTIONS ARE FLOATING IN THE WATER, SAID COMPLEMENTARY LOCKING MEANS COMPRISING A PAIR OF SPACED ANGLE IRONS MOUNTED ADJACENT THE BOTTOM EDGE OF THE REAR SECTION BULKHEAD, SAID ANGLE IONS HAVING VERTICAL CENTRAL OPENINGS, A VERTICAL ROD SLIDABLY MOUNTED OVER EACH OPENING, EACH ROD HAVING A THREADED LOWER END AND A MANUALLY ENGAGEABLE TOP, A SPRING SURROUNDING EACH ROD AT THE UPPER END TO RESILIENTLY RETAIN EACH ROD IN WITHDRAWN POSITION, SPACED ANGLE IRONS ADJACENT THE BOTTOM EDGE OF THE FRONT SECTION BULKHEAD, SAID ANGLE IRONS ON SAID FRONT SECTION HAVING THREADED OPENINGS FOR RECEIVING THE THREADED ENDS OF SAID RODS WHEN SAID ANGLE IRONS ARE IN ALIGNED POSITION, AND MEANS ON SAID BULKHEADS FOR GUIDING SAID SECTIONS TOWARD EACH OTHER TO ALIGN SAID COMPLEMENTARY LOCKING MEANS. 